Comments on: Albert Turpin’s Bethnal Green

By: George Small

George Small — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 20:07:55 +0000

I wonder what our leftie poster boy would think of Bethnal Green now, not many cockneys about now.

By: Christine Gingerich

Christine Gingerich — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 01:56:47 +0000

I am equally moved by these wonderful words but must also say when I saw his photo my first thought was WOW he’s hot. Not that he would have appreciated it much, but it is unusual for me to have that reaction.

By: pauline taylor

pauline taylor — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 16:54:42 +0000

I think you have also solved a mystery for me. I inherited, amongst my father’s possessions, a brightly patterned square of silk which I now believe must have been my grandfather’s choker, I cannot think of any other possible use for it, although I do now keep a few pieces of jewellery wrapped up in it as it is so soft.

By: pauline taylor

pauline taylor — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 11:37:19 +0000

Thank you so much for this GA, there is so much that interests me about this part of London and cockney life. I really relate to the description of how cockneys dressed as my grandfather and his two brothers are all wearing a caps perched at a jaunty angle on the back of their heads in every photograph that I have of them, and of course, my grandfather always wore a cap when I knew him although he had left London long ago. I was also interested in Baroness Burdett Coutts as she was a great friend of my relative, Frederick Francis Greenwood.

By: Helen Breen

Helen Breen — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 08:59:39 +0000

Greetings from Boston,

GA, I really enjoyed Albert Turpin’s retrospective on multi-faceted Bethal Green. Remnants of the past:

“Even now, after slum clearance schemes and Hitler’s bombs, there can still be seen the long-windowed, low-ceilinged cottages that housed the weavers, and in many places are the mulberry trees that were planted for the purposes of silk weaving. By the way, it is not uncommon to find in out of the way back gardens, grape vines – very old, but still bearing much fruit.”

Thanks for preserving his words and works…